SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio philanthropist and business leader Carlos Alvarez has donated $20 million to UTSA.
In honor of the gift, the university is renaming the UTSA College of Business to the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, making it the first named college in UTSA history, university officials said in a news release.
“This gift is a transformational moment for UTSA and the College of Business and will advance our mission to become a great public research university,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “The Alvarezes’ longstanding philanthropic support of UTSA and educational institutions nationwide is a testament to their commitment to fostering generations of future business leaders.”
The money will be used to advance research-enhancing activities, including establishing endowed faculty positions, graduate research fellowships and undergraduate research programs.
“We are very proud to support UTSA and its outstanding students, many of whom—like me—are first-generation Mexican Americans,” said Alvarez, co-chair of UTSA’s Campaign Leadership Council. “My previous support for UTSA dates back to 2006. As a result of UTSA’s stewardship of my previous gifts, and its success in growing and attracting high-caliber students, I was compelled to make this gift to the College of Business and support the largest business school in San Antonio, where I built my own business.”
Alvarez is a legendary businessman, founding The Gambrinus Company in 1986, which became the U.S. importer for the Grupo Modelo beer brands. For the next 20 years, Gambrinus was responsible for selling and marketing Corona Extra, which would become the most successful brand in contemporary beer marketing history.
Alvarez purchased the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner in 1989 and turned the historic Texas brewery that had been in decline for several years into a leading independent craft brewery in the U.S. with Shiner Bock as its flagship brand.
He was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2011, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which celebrates inspiring immigrants to the United States whose philanthropy works for the betterment of their communities.
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